Resilient driving connection.



G. M. EATON. RESLINT DRIVING ONNBGTIN.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 27, 1912.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

14 wmf WITNESSES:

. entran srarns entranti onirica GEORGE M. EATON, OF WILKINSBURG,PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, A CORPORATION F PENNSYLVANIA.

RESILIEN'I DRIVING CONNECTION.

c Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led May 27, 1912. Serial No. 700,037.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. EATON, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of iVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State` ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in ResilientDriving Connections, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to locomotives and other self-propelled railwayvehicles and it has special reference to the driving connections betweenthe motors and the driving wheels of electric locomotives.

The object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple,yielding,drivin@ connection of the `class above indicated that shall embody meansfor absorbing the shocks and thereby reducing the strains to which theconnected parts are subjected.

iesilient driving connections embodying some shock-absorbing means havebeen devised heretofore and, according to my present invention, Iprovide a connection of the same general character as that set forth inPatent 1,070,564, granted August 19, 1913,

to John 7E. Webster, and assigned to the 1Westinghouse Electric @cManufacturing Company.

The preferred embodiment of my present invention comprises a drivenshaft or axle and a driving gear wheel, having two frictionclutch-connected parts, one of which is yieldingly connected to thedriven axle and Y the other of which is operatively connected to theaxle by a non-yielding connection.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawingsfis a partially sectional elevationof a portion of a driving connection embodying my invention. F ig. 2 isa sectional elevation at right angles to Fig. 1, andFig. 3 is asectional View on the'line III-III of Fig. 1.

Referring to-the drawings, the structure here shown comprises a drivingaxle 1 which is equipped with the usual driving `wheels 2 (only one ofwhich'is shown), an electric driving motor 3, a quill or sleeve 4surrounding the axle'1anda driving connection between the motor' and thedriving wheels.

The driving connection comprises a pin-y ion 5, secured to the end ofthe motor shaft 6, a gear wheel 7` which is composed of'twoclutch-connected part's, radial arms 8 which are secured to projections9 of a gear wheelj body 10 and springs 11 which are interposed betweenspokes 12 of the driving wheel and the radial arms 8.

In addition to the body 10, the gear wheel 7 comprises a ring 13,friction shoes 17, springs 18, and an annular member 14 having aplurality of projections 15 which constitute small segments of acylindrical surface and are fitted into a flange 16 of the body 10. Theshoes I17, which are ring segments, are located between the projections15 of the member 14 and are pressed into engagement with the fiange 16by means of semi-elliptical springs 18. These springs are interposedbetween the shoes 17 and ribs 19 which form a part of the member 11 andjoin the projections 15.

rlhe ring 13 is y locatedl in an annular pocket 21, lformed between thebody 10 and the* member 14 within the ribs 19 and is provided with arairof opposite lugs 2O which extend into notches 22 in the projections.15. The ring 18 is also provided with a pair of bifurcated proiectious23 which are located oppositely and in quadrature relation to the lugs20.

The body 10 is composed of a huh 24' which is secured to the end of thequill 4, andan annular portion having the projections 9 and the flange16. The annular portion of the body 10 is provided with openings 25which are opposite the bifurcated Y 423, since the notches whichbifurcate these projections are radial and are made suffi? ciently deepwith this in View. The ring 13, together with the Wheel 2 can move atright angles to the line of adjustment of the ring relative to thewheel, with respect to the remainder of the gear, by reason of the factthat the notches 22 in the member 14 are radial and the lugs 20 do notextend to the bottom of the notches. It thus appears that the part 14 ispositively driven by the projections 26 of the Wheel but freedom of iradial movement between the. connected parts is permitted. The part 141s, however,

only connec'ted'to'tlie fini oftfie gear wheel 7, andthe body 10 by afriction clutch composed of the shoesv 17 and the springs 18.

4in addition to the driving connection just described, the body 10, asVabove' indicated,

lis provided with arms 8 which are connected to the wheel spokes 12 bytangential springs 11. Since the bodyl() is rigidly secu-redtothe rim'of the gear' wheel 7, the primary driving connection is estblisiied fromtlie gear wheel to the driving wheel through the springs' 11,'bi1t, byreason of the friction clutch connection, the LspringsV are relievedfrom shocks vandvibrations to which they might otherwise be subjeeted.

p When electric ocomotivesand other ve' liicles are started underadverse conditions', or whe'r'ithebrakes;4 are' sudden-ly applied to thedriving wheels, a vibration, of the springsconnected partsis' quitelikely tol re-.

sult. Furthermore, driving connections of this general class'sb'ow atendency to vibrate or oscillat'e with increasing aniplitd'e casev theldriving wheels slip,44 caii'siiig the springs to be compressed ormaterially eX- tended,-and aheavv blw to be delivered to the wheelspolz'e's'b therdial ilrivilibfil rms. The friction clutchconnetion ofmy inv 'e'ntion4 constitutes a'n effective nans= of damping vont 'orpreventing the vibration above referred toand'mat'rially 'urove's thecharacter' and' operation ,of the 'living connection. V -f The' springs18 arev 'suilioiently strong to introduce -a' large' factor v offrictional resistance to' any rotative adjustmentl between the ring 13and the member' 14",' and the rim of `connected parts'.

A driving connection fr railway ve- -liioles comprising a driving motor,a wheel axle, a yielding connection between the motor and axle and afriction clutch-connection between the said parts in multiple relationto the yielding connection.

3. A' driving connection for railway vehicles comprising a drivingmotor, a wheel axle, a "yielding connection between the motor and'axleand a friction clutch-connection between the' said parts in multiplerelation to the yielding `connection andv comprising a plurality' dfradialslioes, elliptical vsprings and a universal joint connection.

4. A driving connection for railway ,vrehicies comprising a drivingmotor, a wlieei axle, quill loosely surrounding the axle, a gear wheelstructure secured to one end of the quill and operatively connected tothe motor shaft, a plurality of tangentiai springs interposed betweenthe vwlneel spokes and a' portion of the gear wheel structure and adirect connection between wheel spokes and the gear wheel structureincluding a friction clutch. l

5. A driving connectionjfor railway vehicles comprising a driving motor,a wheel axle, a quill loosely surronnding the axle, a

gear wheel structuresecured to one end of' the quill and operatively'connected to the motor" shaft, a' plurality of tangential springs"interposed between the wheel spokes and a portion ofthe gear wlieelstructure' andV a direct connection between the .wheel spokes andthegear wheel structure includ-v ing a friction clutch comprisingfloating member within the gear wheel structure, a plurality` offriction shoes', springs interposed between the ioating members and theshoes and forcing the latter into engagement with the gear wheel andauniversal'joint connection between tlle'ioatin'g member and the wheel.spokes. v

In testimony whereof, lii've hereunto subscribed myname this 11th day ofMay',

1 1 GE'ORGEM. EATON. Witnesses: B. B. T inns,

M; C; ferez.

